Mea Culpa
by HandOfTheQueen
Summary: Regina's savior one night comes in the form of Emma Nolan, a high profile mobster in the Nolan crime family. Protection never comes cheap in New York City, but Regina might be able to come to terms with what Emma has in store for her. SQ AU: 1930's Mob Life.
1. Prologue

**Story Rating: M (For language, mature themes, violence and future sex scenes.)**

**AU story line set in NYC 1930's. Irish Mob story all inspired by a photo of JMo in a suit. Slight OOC for some characters introduced later on in the story. **

**Disclaimer: I own no rights associated with Once Upon A Time. I am simply borrowing the characters. No beta so all mistakes are my own.**

**Some Background Information (Feel free to ignore and carry on if you wish):** So the backdrop for this story takes place in Hell's Kitchen (Manhattan-New York City) during the early 1930's. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929 America has fallen into an economic depression the likes of which had never been seen. Prohibition is still in place and organized crime has benefited greatly from bootlegging alcohol in from Canada and selling it in speakeasies all around the city. Rather than reducing crime, Prohibition transformed some cities into battlegrounds between opposing bootlegging gangs. New York City saw an increase in prostitution, gambling, and racketeering that all stemmed from various mob families. Various Irish mobs have settled in Hell's Kitchen and on top of the infighting for control, Italian-immigrant based mobs also poise a threat. There is no universal governing body for the Irish Mob and the Irish organized crime groups tend to operate in association with each other, but not on a formal basis. Because of the lack of a governing body the bosses normally set there own rules, on various things like who can be a member and who can not. The story will mostly deal with two fictional families, the Nolan's and the Cassidy's. Though not based off of a specific crime family, Emma in this story represents a Street Boss to the Irish based Nolan family. Her father (David) is the current Boss (head) of the family and is grooming his daughter to take over. Though women during this time (in almost all aspects of life) were not held with much esteem to do work, this is a point with the story that I am taking some liberty with. That's not to say Emma hasn't/won't face a lot of adversity due to her gender. As the story goes on and more terms from this come into play I will do my best to leave an author's note to help clear up any confusion.

This first chapter is more of a short prologue to set the story in motion.

**Trigger Warning: Implications of rape and sexual abuse**

* * *

"Let go of me Daniel!"

The sun was beginning to set on them, and Regina had exhausted herself crying. In one respect she was angry at herself for being so obviously terrified of Daniel Scully, and on the other hand she felt that if she had ever earned the right to cry as much as she wanted, it was on this day. He hadn't raped her yet, which she was honestly surprised by. She'd felt him wax hard and wane soft so many times in the past few hours that she was certain her first instincts had been right. It had been along her leg at first, but he'd moved, and any hope she had that she was mistaken had long since passed. She'd been with many men in the past due to her...job, but even if they swelled to thrice the size of what she'd seen they'd be nowhere near the thing that Daniel had smugly sandwiched between their bodies. At first she'd tried to reassure herself that it wasn't something the size of her forearm, but from time to time he had ground it against her against the alley way, and her hopes of not getting hurt on that score had been dashed.

She'd tried her best to stop crying, if only because she didn't want him to have the satisfaction of hearing her weep. It was bad enough that he'd be making her cry sooner than later. So she had stopped crying, whenever she could. It didn't take very long for her to get the sense that he enjoyed her sobs though. He hadn't even done anything too obscene, but when her tears slowed he kept doing things to make them start again. And whenever she screamed or sobbed or started crying after she'd stopped, he smiled like an ill behaved child, pleased with himself for misbehaving. Regina desperately wanted to stop for good, to show him that he couldn't just toy with her like that just because she worked for him, but it wasn't true. He could and he knew it. That was, perhaps, the most upsetting thing of all.

Given what he'd done in the past few minutes alone, Regina couldn't help that she started trembling uncontrollaby as he shoved her against the brick wall. The people had watched them turn the corner into the alley way with wary eyes, but none asked if she was well or needed help. Anyone could tell she wasn't, and anyone could know there was nothing to be done about it. It wasn't their inaction that made her shiver though. It was the words Daniel started saying when they passed the overflowing dumpster. Things about promising Regina not to harm Henry if she just kept calm, and how people got stupid when they heard a pretty girl screaming as he took his pleasure. Her father had always said she was strong, but Regina didn't think she was strong enough for this. How could she be? This was well beyond anything Regina had even dreamed of in her worst nightmares. Her life could never have prepared her for someone like him.

Daniel didn't say anything, and she barely moved, irrationally hoping that if she too kept still that they might stand there in peace until he was bored enough to give up. '_Oh Lord teach him justice, Father give me strength, Father help me make of this what I can'_- for a moment Regina hesistated, for she had never prayed for another's death, but her prayer only skipped for a moment in her mind before she thought- '_Death, come to meet him.'_

"What's wrong Regina? Remember when you use to beg me for this?" A wave of cheap gin and smoke washed over Regina's cheek, causing her to flinch back. A stiff hand came up to slap with young woman in the face. "Answer me bitch!"

"Daniel, please... stop-" her voice barely heard. Before either could respond, a new voice interrupted.

"Is there a problem here Scully?"

A voice, Irish in origin by the sounds of it, broke up whatever torment Daniel had in store. From the side door of the opposite building there appeared to be three of them; men all dressed in slick looking tailor suits and light scruff adorning their faces staring down both Regina and Daniel. The man closest to them seemed to be affected the most by what was going on. His eyes darted back and forth between Regina and Daniel as he pieced the scenario out in silence. Regina thought his features battled between open hostility and hurt at what was happening. The man who had spoken up had dark hair pushed back off of his forehead, blue eyes that almost twinkled with mischief despite the time of night and a smile that seemed all too malicious. He was not someone Regina would have wanted to come across all by herself in the later hours of the day. And the third man was much harder to read. He appeared to be the biggest in bulk of the trio and yet the other two looked like much more of a threat just by how they were standing. What surprised Regina more than the appearance of the men was how quickly Daniel managed to turn around to face the group.

"No-no problem here." Suddenly, Daniel was all smiles as he finally put some distance between himself and Regina.

"That's not how I see it, Scully," The dark haired man spoke up once more. "Looks to me as though you're getting real handsy with this dame back here. I might not have gone to some fancy school here like Booth, but uh, I don't think she looks to happy about that. What do you think Booth?"

"Looks about right Killian," the man to his right replied.

"No honestly, this is all just a misunderstanding. Right Regina?" Daniel looked to her as though she was her saving grace. And when she didn't answer quick enough his grip on her arm tightened just so to elicit a small gasp of pain from the brunette. "_Right,_ Regina?"

"I'd let her go if I was you," a softer accented voice said. Regina should have been prepared for all of the Irish immigrants that roamed the streets of Hell's Kitchen. This was _their_ stomping grounds after all. It was a natural gathering place for all the Irishmen who got off the boat after weeks of travel at sea. What Regina hadn't been expecting was a woman to come out from behind the barricade of men. And in a _man's_ suit no less. The articles of clothing hung to her body almost like a second skin- very much different from the boxy cuts the men wore these days- and her long blonde hair was pulled back in some sort of braided pony tail Regina had never come across before. Despite the very masculine choice of apparel, there were still enough touches of femininity for anyone to see when they looked at the blonde. The woman who had been lingering in the back tossed her cigarette butt to the ground without so much as looking to where it landed. Her steps crunched the ground beneath as she broke past the line of men and wormed her way in between the two groups.

"E-"

"You don't get to call me that Scully," the blonde cut off. "You know you're not allowed around here Danny."

"It's not what it looks like," he pleaded.

"That's what they all say." The woman tucked her hands into her pocket and nodded her head towards Killian and the other unnamed man. It was quick, but the two guys grabbed Daniel by his upper arms and slammed him up against the hard brick wall. The sound of his skull hitting the wall was loud enough to draw Regina out of her stupor. She inched away as best as she could from Daniel, but her legs shook from underneath. The fact that she was still standing was a miracle in itself.

"Come here doll," The blonde beckoned. Regina took a few tentative steps. She gave Regina a warm smile of encouragement. "Don't be shy. Why don't you tell me your name?"

"Regina."

"Just Regina?" she teased. Strange to think this smiling woman was the same woman who made Daniel so nervous. "Must be nice just having one name. Much easier to remember."

"Regina Mills."

"Well Miss. Mills, was Danny Boy here giving you a hard time?" Regina gave a quick glance over towards Daniel. He struggled against the hold against the woman's boys and the brunette's nerves were on full alert once again. A pale finger against her chin guided her attention back to the blonde woman. "He's not going to hurt you over there love. You can tell me the truth."

Regina drew back slightly from her touch. "I work for him," she said, offering it up as though it was an excuse. "It's not unheard of-"

"Doesn't make it right from where I come from." The blonde cast a deathly glare towards Daniel that could have gone right through him. Without looking back, she gave an order to one of her men. "You make sure Miss. Mills gets home safely Booth. We're just going to stay here and have a nice little chat with Scully."

"Yes Boss." Booth placed a hand along the brunette's shoulder. She was ushered into the backseat of a car without another chance to speak up. The last thing she was able to see as the car peeled out was Daniel being pushed down onto the concrete. By the looks of it 'chat' was a very loose term for what Daniel was about to go through. She would have felt some sense of justice if this wasn't going to come back and bit her in the ass. Once Daniel was free of that woman and her men he would just come right back to Regina. And when that happened there was no telling what sort of trouble she'd receive. Or what he would do to Henry.

"Where to Miss. Mills?" Booth's voice interrupting her thoughts once more.

"56th and 8th," she paused for a moment before gathering the courage to ask the man up front a question. "Your boss is a woman?"

"So you've noticed?" Booth bit back sarcastically. The brunette took notice that unlike his companions, his accent was pure New York, much like her own. The man's eyes peered through the rearview mirror to get a better look at the battered woman in his backseat. The tone of his voice took some of it's edge out when he decided to speak up again. "Emma Nolan and her family are people you want on your side. They have a lot of influence in what goes on in this neighborhood. She isn't someone you want to rub the wrong way Miss. Mills."

* * *

**Thanks For Reading!**


	2. Making Good

**HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! **

**Please excuse me for the delay. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe March 17th even if you aren't Irish.**

**Story Rating: M (For language, mature themes, violence and future sex scenes.)**

**AU story line set in NYC 1930's. Irish Mob story all inspired by a photo of JMo in a suit. Slight OOC for some characters introduced later on in the story. **

**Disclaimer: I own no rights associated with Once Upon A Time. I am simply borrowing the characters. No beta so all mistakes are my own. Sped through this so there might be a few more mistakes than usual. My apologies.**

**Some Background Information (Feel free to ignore and carry on if you wish):** Nowhere was the influence of the Irish immigrant more pronounced than in America's most powerful city, New York. 75% of the famine Irish landed in New York harbor, and by 1860 a quarter of New York City's population was Irish. Within a few decades, the Irish held firm control over Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that controlled much of New York politics. The rise of the Irish in New York culminated when Al Smith, the grandson of Irish immigrants, rose from the tenements of the Lower East Side to become governor of New York in the 1920s. Large numbers of unemployed or very poor Irish Catholics lived in squalid conditions in the new city slums and tenements. The Irish were the poorest of all immigrant groups that arrived in the United States in the nineteenth century, and many women especially suffered as a result of being abandoned or widowed. Consequently, there were many cases of mental and physical illnesses, as well as alcohol abuse and instances of crime, among women of Irish neighborhoods. Irish Catholics were popular targets for stereotyping in the 19th century. According to historian George Potter, the media often stereotyped the Irish in America as being boss-controlled, violent (both among themselves and with those of other ethnic groups), voting illegally, prone to alcoholism and dependent on street gangs that were often violent or criminal. For the Irish immigrant who anchored in New York Harbor in the first decades of the twentieth century, no longer were prejudice, hatred and aggression there to spurn them. In their place was a new Irish-American identity, confident, proud, and irrepressible, ready to be assumed by the next greenhorn to step down from the deck of an Irish steamship.

* * *

The minute Regina exited Mr. Booth's car, she bolted inside the decaying apartment building she called home without so much as a glance back. Their car ride had been rather silent after Mr. Booth's enlightening insight on the mysterious woman who had saved her. While the name Emma brought along no recollection for Regina the surname Nolan surely did. One would have to be living under a rock in Hell's Kitchen to not know of the Nolan crime family. They were known throughout the Northern Boundary near the Upper West Side for their laundry list of misdeeds. Gambling rings, loan sharking, boot legging, racketeering, blackmail. And that was simply the cleanest of their activities to date. Regina knew on good authority that the Nolan crime ring hand more than their fair share of blood on their hands.

Luck be it that Regina had crossed paths with the Nolan's daughter tonight.

Despite her better senses Regina was unafraid of that matter as she rushed up creaking stairs. Daniel was now at the mercy of one of New York's most feared group of criminals and it was all Regina's fault. Or at least that was how Daniel would no doubt view it if he made it out alive. The first thing on his mind would be retribution against the woman who had been unable to lie to Emma and her men. Though Regina still had other things to worry about besides her own fate. When she reached the door her hands shook so much that he had trouble pushing the key into the lock. By the time she could open the door a young red headed girl was standing on the other side.

"Regina," she sounded surprised, "I thought you wouldn't be back until morning."

"Something more important came up. Daniel didn't need me tonight," Regina lied.

Suspicion etched across the girl's features. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale."

"Yes, of course." Regina frantically swapped places with her, ushering the sitter out into the hall as quick as she could. "Thank you for watching Henry." The sitter barely uttered her response before the door of the apartment shut in her face. Regina had no time for her usual manners when all she needed was to see her son safe. Without bothering to escape from her heels, Regina walked into the open studio apartment and hovered at the side of the single bed. Nestled in that could pass as a duvet laid a sleeping boy. Buried so far underneath the ratty cover, only a mop of brown hair similar to Regina's own signaled to the concerned mother that her boy was safe and sound. Slow steady rises of his chest let her know that Henry was oblivious to all of the dangers this city could hold for a single mother and her son.

Regina tried to sneak under the covers without waking her son from his sleep. Henry stirred just a bit before he turned on his side and tucked himself into his mother's form. Trembling arms brought him in closer before a quiet sob finally broke past Regina's lips. Henry was fine and that was all that matter in this moment. Not the Nolans and all their cohorts or whatever they were up to. Not even what remained of her employer could shake the relief Regina felt holding her boy. She would deal with whatever Daniel had in store for her tomorrow.

Tonight she just needed to be with her son.

* * *

Knocking at the door woke Regina Mills from her sleep. For a brief moment Regina was able to enjoy the idea that she was just dreaming up the morning intrusion and that she was still sleeping soundly. Until the events of her pervious night came to the forefront of her mind. She reached out to find the spot next to her was empty. Her whole body lurched upward from the bed in search for her absent son.

"Henry?" The boy had reached the door before she could warn him not to let anyone in. Daniel was surely standing on the other side of that door looking for retaliation and there was no way Regina could let that man near her son. Not with Regina knowing what harm could come to Henry if Daniel was on the other side of that door. She was pulling off the duvet as Henry twisted the doorknob in his hand. Regina frantically rushed across the floor of the apartment floor, but was too late. Henry had already pulled open the door and was now staring up at whoever was in the hall.

"Hello." The poor boy looked so innocent as he smiled up at the visitor. Perhaps it was his youth or his generally optimistic demeanour that allowed him to trust strangers so easily. It saddened her to do so, but Regina was trying to teach him to be less open to anyone who wandered up to him in the dangerous neighborhood. When Regina finally reached Henry she wrapped an around his chest to pull him tight against her to prevent him from running towards the person outside in the hall. She felt his head turn up against her body, but she didn't dare look down. Her eyes were glued to the figures standing opposite of them.

Regina let out a sigh of relief, albeit a small one, as she took in the forms of Emma Nolan and her unnamed associate from the pervious night. She was dressed in a similar fashion as she had seen on the blonde before, but in the light of day Regina was able to get a better picture of her saviour. Her eyes were a striking green, darting between the mother and son, realization shining through. The one thing Regina noticed above all in her state of worry was the confidence that exuded from Emma.

"Hello," Emma finally responded. "What a handsome young lad you have there Ms. Mills." The mother's protective grip tightened as Emma turned her attention back to the young boy. "What's your name?"

"Henry Mills. You talk funny! Are you a leprechaun?"

"Henry!" Regina scolded, finally finding her voice amongst the conversation.

"No offence taken," Emma chuckled along with Henry. "Definitely not a leprechaun kid. And maybe you're the one that talks funny. Have you ever thought of that?"

"No," the boy replied thoughtfully.

"Well then, looks like we are at a standstill on this Henry. In the meantime I need to talk to your mother. Mind if I come in?"

"Yes." "No." The mother and son replied at once.

Emma gave a small chuckle before ultimately coming into the apartment. "Since the man of the house has so kindly invited me in," her words trailed off as she took in the meager accommodations. Regina had no doubt that Emma was taking in the conditions of the place, right down to the peeling wallpaper and the smoke stains from the pervious tenants. She shouldn't have been so embarrassed by the apartment, as many people would consider her lucky to even have a roof over her head, but the blonde's wandering eyes made Regina feel ashamed. The daughter of a prominent crime boss probably never dealt with the sort of people who lived in this type of environment. Not personally at least.

"Henry, why don't you get ready for school?"

"But-"

"Listen to your mother kid," Emma chimed in. Surely she meant nothing by it, as her tone was not harsh with Henry, but Regina still scowled at the other woman. When Henry shuffled off to the small bathroom at the other end of the room, Regina found a new wave of confidence.

"You-" she moved a step closer towards Emma. In a brave attempt to put the blonde in her place Regina pointed her finger at Emma as she tried to appear threatening. Her voice hushed to make sure Henry remained in the dark but still harsh none the less. "-have no right to talk to my son like that, let alone-"

Emma pushed right back into Regina's personal space to square off with the enraged mother. "And _you_ seem to forget who you are speaking to. Do I need to remind you Ms. Mills just who it was that helped you get back to your boy safe and sound last night?" When Regina seemed to physically deflate from Emma's words, the blonde continued. "There now, that wasn't too hard, was it? I came up here to see if you were alright after last night. Booth tells me you were pretty shaken up about the whole thing."

As much as Regina wanted Emma and 'her boys' out of her life, it killed her to admit that she might not have made it home in one piece without them. Accepting help from others was a difficult thing to do for her and considering the fact that Emma had probably saved her life did not sit well with Regina. This called for appreciation, a feeling almost as hard to accept as defeat for the woman. With a small huff, Regina tried her best to calm down. "Thank you Ms. Nolan," she mumbled, "for last night."

"Daniel seemed receptive to our _talk_."

"How can you be certain he won't come around here?" Regina asked quietly. How would she know if Daniel came hobbling up to the apartment bent on teaching Regina and Henry a painful lesson? Physical punishment was not far from unusual in her line of work.

Emma seemed to take some time considering the brunette in front of her before her brow furrowed. Green eyes lingered on the purplish bruise that had formed overnight on Regina's cheek. Slowly one hand escaped the confines of her suit jacket only to hover near the mark. Regina flinched when the warm hand actually cupped her cheek, but settled when she felt Emma gently trace her thumb over the bruise. It perturbed Regina to think of how calm she could be when the hand of a notorious criminal was on her. The look of pity on Emma's face made it hard to picture her as the killer she was rumored to be.

"Men shouldn't think they have the right to hurt us. I promise Danny won't be hurting you or your boy ever again." Just as quickly as her hand appeared, it was gone, leaving Regina feeling a bit upset by the lack of contact. Surely it was due to the fact that the mark on her face no longer had the gentle pressure Emma had been applying on it to soothe it. Emma shoved her hand back into her pocket and put a few steps between them. "This does mean you are out of a job though. All things consider, I think that would be good news. A mother shouldn't be out conducting that sort of business."

"I don't think you have the right to pass such judgment." The nerve of the other woman to think that Regina enjoyed what Daniel made her do every night. Sleeping with whatever lowlife payed him the most for a night with her. "What I want is of no concern to you. Everything I do, I do for Henry's benefit and I will not have some _thug _come into my home and look down on me for that."

The lackey by the door finally stirred from his role as observer, but Emma held a hand out, effectively stopping the man from moving any closer towards the women. "Now, now Graham, that's alright. I didn't mean for it to sound like that Ms. Mills and I'm sure you didn't mean to offend us. I'm sure you're just upset to be unemployed now. Right? You didn't mean to hurt Graham's feelings?" Emma's tone was slightly darker than what Regina had initially been treated to and it was a reminder that Emma and her crew were not to be underestimated. Honeyed words and all natural smiles were just a mask for what they were really capable of. Or at least what Regina had heard about them through whispers on the street.

"Yes," she conceded, although it was not how she truly felt in that moment. Truthfully she could probably pick up another job in a similar venture quite quickly, but to placate the two outsiders in her apartment she went along. Henry was still a safe distance away in the bathroom and Regina had no desire for Emma to be here when he was done getting ready.

"That's the spirit. Since in way it is my fault that you are currently unemployed I would be remised if I didn't make it up to you somehow. My father has just opened up a new restaurant on 49th and 8th and we are a bit understaffed at the moment. With my recommendation I could easily secure you one of those spots. Late night shifts too so you can see Henry off in the mornings."

Regina had no desire to be tied to a well known crime family, even if it was playing waitress at some restaurant in the nice part of town. _But_, money was money and she was in short supply of it at all times, no matter how many hours in the night she worked. "And if I were to say no?"

Emma smirked. "If you were to say no I'd kindly remind you that the Nolan family has done you a favor and has just generously offered you a way to make good." The blonde took a few steps towards Regina to invade her personal space. It was then that Regina noticed that Emma held a few inches over her. Up close it was hard to deny the certain charm and attractiveness the woman held. "Plus you'd be able to spend more time with me."

Regina scoffed, "You act as though that's a good thing."

"It's always good with me." The Irish woman chuckled, mistaking the response as a playful comeback. "So do we have a deal Ms. Mills?"

The lack of any other practical option gave reason for Regina to frown. She truly had no other plans that would benefit her such as this. She was already trapped with accepting the job, which turned out to be more of another favor than payment towards Emma Nolan. "Yes," she finally accepted when all other ideas were officially debunked, _"For Henry,"_ she kept to herself.

* * *

**To those asking about Renegade: I thank you for your continued interest in the story. As of now the voice of that story has gone quiet in the wake of Mea Culpa and F.B.A.B. Truthfully my muse for that story has taken a holiday long before I began these new ventures. I have no intention of abandoning the story forever, but for now I must say it is on hiatus. I apologize to anyone who has been waiting on an update without any word of it's current status.**

**As always, thanks for reading!**


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